Turning Tables
by CrimsonJoy
Summary: Based on the tumblr prompt from redbeautyftw - Ruby setting up a Halloween prank on Belle but Belle finds out and ends up scaring the crap outta Ruby first.


**A/N: Based on the tumblr prompt from redbeautyftw - Ruby setting up a Halloween prank on Belle but Belle finds out and ends up scaring the crap outta Ruby first**

"Halloween?"

Ruby glanced up from the box of cheesy decorations, labelled for the occasion, grinning wildly. "Yeah, I'm starting kinda early on the 'preparations', but I can't help it. I love this one…"

Belle pursed her lips, eyeing the orange and black assessment of bats and skeletons that spilled out from their cardboard container. "Well, what is it? Because this seems ludicrous." Blunt as always, but Ruby let it slide in favour of unpacking the well-worn ornaments, letting them gather around her.

"This land has this thing, All Hallows Eve, where the ghosts of their ancestors are meant to show up for one night a year and go around doing… stuff. But people changed it to Halloween, and now kids dress up and go around asking for sweets off people. Are you following this at all?"

Ruby glanced up and smiled at Belle's confusion, realising that of course Belle wouldn't follow it all that fast. "You'll catch on," she reassure, pulling and promptly pushing a fuzzy giant spider away from her. "I always hated these though."

Granny's gruff laughter drew both girls' attention her way. "We wouldn't have them if you could deal with the cat decorations."

"They made noises!" Ruby whined. "Like… evil, dying noises." Granny rolled her eyes, already back to flipping through the books again, and Belle bit her lip to keep the smile from showing.

A little put out, Ruby grabbed the end of a long, purple cord of fabric and pulled hard. She gave Belle a quick, sarcastic look, channelling her cursed self as much as she could. "Okay fine, but since you're here, you can help me with the Diner. Maybe you'll even learn something."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Belle learned nothing at all. Ruby was too excitable to explain it correctly, and Granny just thought it was a waste of time. Though she did make sure to make a quick "you've costume is built in," comment that Ruby only sneered at.

Since letting herself get comfortable in her wolf form again, Ruby had taken less and less offence to what the townsfolk said to her about it, no matter how rude they may be. But it was only Granny would could get away with something like that. If she was to admit it, Belle would have to say she grinned at the banter between them. It was a nice normality to share.

However, hanging bats from the ceiling lights was anything but ordinary.

"Oh get into the spirit, Belle!" Ruby called down from the top of the step ladder, to where Belle held it in place on the ground. "Think goblins and witches and_ murder_!"

Belle's eyebrows knotted in quick response and Ruby chuckled. "Bad choice of words, but… think nice evil things." Belle rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, putting all her weight on the ladder to keep in from shaking when Ruby tried to climb down again. "Like me, you know."

Just to make her make her scream, Belle's hand slid away from the cold steel rungs, letting Ruby sway slightly, and give Belle exactly the sound she wanted. "Don't be like that again, Ruby." She called up, letting Ruby glare down at her, much more careful with coming down now.

"I'll get you back for that."

"I'm sure you will."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

It took a lot of the night to finish decorating the eatery, and when they finally had it done, they were both ready to fall asleep right there and then. Granny had left at closing, dropping a quick threat before she went that they better have it all up.

"So what is Halloween usually like around here?" Belle had asked at one point, and Ruby had seemed confused.

"I only have the false memories, the ones Regina gave us. But they tell me it's great." Ruby smiled. "Sometimes the girls and I would dress up and head down to the Rabbit hole…" she had pursed her lips. "Not this year, though. This year we're staying in."

"We?"

"Yes, we!" Ruby had called, as if her friend was talking crazy all of a sudden. "I need to teach you all the crappy, made up Halloween things!"

Belle smiled. "If they're made up why does it matter?"

Ruby shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "No, Belle, you're learning this. Even if can only get you to watch one scary movie that will be enough."

"A movie?" Ruby's body had deflated and her lips had parted, remembering suddenly that they hadn't started with that section of 'Belle's Introduction to the World'. Deciding quickly that she couldn't have Belle's first film terrify her away from them together, she quickly decided that they would have to spend the next day in 'lessons' (spending the whole day in Ruby's bed) before the holiday. Only a week and a bit left after all…

"I'll explain all of that to you later, but for now, tie off that last string will you?"

But now, while they tumbled across the road to the Library, there was something else on Ruby's mind. "Hey… it's been a year, I think."

"Hmmm," Belle hummed her response, too tired for any words. She had been daydreaming about something else, but her curiousness drove her on. "Yeah?"

"Since you showed up, it's been a whole year soon." Ruby chimed. "Well, since you found your way to me anyway." _Look how much has happened… _She thought it, but would never dare to speak it aloud.

Belle was still just a little bit torn up about Rumpelstiltskin. He had only been gone about a month, but it was still difficult to get through to her sometimes. Earlier on, Ruby had been scared for her, always trying to bride her out of her little save haven that was the Library, and when she finally did get her out, it was only to the Diner, or Ruby's apartment, no further.

She was getting better now, speaking to everyone, even back to opening the Library up to others again. And Ruby couldn't be more relived. She'd missed her friend, and after the whole Lacey thing, she had been away from her for far too long. But that was all over, and now they were practically falling asleep leaning on the cold, wooden doors of Belle's makeshift home, scrambling to try and open the lock.

Belle's hand gripped her own firmly, making sure Ruby didn't pull away and leave her. A sleepover sounded pretty good, and the cold downstairs was no preparation for what her room would be like, she knew Ruby would stay without question…

"Well happy nearly anniversary then," Belle grinned, blinking her eyes awake, trying to climb the stairs. What time was it? "It's close enough right?" Ruby nodded and fell into bed, too lazy to undress any more than kick off her shoes and burrow under Belle's duvet.

Belle followed suit a moment later, after closing the blinds as quickly as she could. She knew Ruby hated waking up when she didn't need to. She cuddled up into Ruby's side, as was tradition, and tried to relax.

But Ruby wasn't asleep, and she was smiling when Belle settled down, her breathing evening out in seconds, signalling her sleep. She was going to get her back for the ladder stunt. It sounded stupid to take something so petty, but if she was really going to teach Belle the true spirit of Halloween, where better to start that a trick?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Really, she wasn't too sure how well this would work, but she knew Belle would freak. The shelves all crashing over the moment she entered the room? That's something even Belle wouldn't be able to logically find an answer for.

So she woke up before Belle, almost by accident but she blamed her wolfish tendencies. Wolves slept in quick bursts, and she did sometimes. Thank god she could start of today in the true Halloween spirit.

It barely took her fifteen minutes to find some string strong enough to move the heavy shelves, and another five to tie them off in such a way that they would fall is she pulled them. Hiding the ends of the string behind the desk, Ruby switched off the light and darkness enveloped the room.

Sliding back into bed was the most difficult part, since Belle was a heavy sleeper, she managed it, without Belle even rolling over. She smiled, closed her eyes and wrapped her arms back around the tiny woman beside her, just a little bit excited now.

Xxxxxxxxxx

When the morning came, Ruby was out like a light, the morning have no effect on her waking whatsoever. Belle however, had an internal alarm clock that wouldn't let her stay in bed much longer, and the hunger pangs eventually drove her up. Ruby rolled over when she wriggled out of her grasp, and Belle sighed in relief. Better to leave her sleep.

Half asleep still, Belle tumbled over to the kitchen and made a cup of tea. She couldn't eat too early in the morning, but tea would hold her over for an hour or so. Tea and a good book that is.

It took her no time to spot the hastily hidden strings, and with a second of thought, Belle smiled and started to browse the mountains of books at her disposal. Maybe it was time to learn more about this 'All Hallows Eve', before Ruby got the chance to try thing again. She left the 'trap' where it was.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Ruby woke up about an hour later, slowly. It seemed the missed sleep had caught up with her, and, though she was awake, she couldn't open her eyes.

Vaguely, she realised Belle was gone, and sighed at the loss of warmth, her mind not yet awake enough for memories other than the basic. She tried to blink but her eyes were too heavy, and without nothing to entice her awake, she was happy to lie there, maybe even fall asleep again if she was lucky.

She didn't of course, her body stubbornly refusing what she would have loved, and with a groan, she finally opened her eyes, blinking them twice, before they widened more than Belle ever thought they possibly could.

Belle had been sitting in the chair that stood on the other side of the room, reading with her tea, with a mischievous glint in her eyes that wasn't really taking any words in. It hadn't taken Ruby very long to wake up anyway, so it wasn't a case of her getting bored. And Ruby didn't just wake up normally, she woke up _violently_.

She had rolled over twice and Belle worried she's ruin the surprise, but when her eyes finally opened and her lips parted in a shrill scream, she was in the most perfect position Belle every thought possible. Right beside the giant, black insect decoration Belle had stolen from the diner.

Belle couldn't contain her laughter, and in five seconds, she felt Ruby's glaring eyes set down on her, and it only made her laugh harder. The spider was thrown towards her but it did nothing to calm her, and Ruby sighed with an almost growling way.

"Fine… you found it, didn't you?"

Belle licked her lips and settled for a grin in Ruby's direction, smiling at the dishevelled, panting girl in her bed. "Maybe," she muttered, closing the book. At least she had the decency to look a little coy about it all. "You deserved it though."

Ruby shook her head, and pulled the blankets over her again, rearranging them from where she had kicked them away in fright. "I hope you'll be this good at Christmas too."

"Christmas?"

"It's another made up thing in this world, in December, two moons away. There all these lights and reindeer and an imaginary fat guy who brings you stuff…"

**A/N: HAPPY RED BEAUTY-VERSARY EVERYONE**


End file.
